Sunday in Beaune

September 20 -- Our full first morning in France was sunny and bright.  Thanks to Dick getting up early and exploring Pommard, we had fresh, warm croissants from the la boulangerie artisanale in the village.

Because we needed to stock the refrigerator, we drove off in search of a hypermarché that might be open on Sunday morning.  Unfortunately, the two we tried first were both closed for Sunday.  There may have been another nearby that was open for a few hours, but we never found it.  We did however get some air in the right front tire on the car because the dashboard indicated we needed air.  This is a pretty smart car.

Wood carved door

We decided to make the best of the day by heading into the Beaune city center and exploring.  Beaune has a ring road that circles about where the old city walls used to be, and we were able to find parking there. We walked toward what we thought might be the center of town, and soon came upon a large church, the Collégiale Basilique Notre-Dame.  It dates from
the 13th century and features a style described as Burgundian Romanesque. It also has some Gothic additions and a Renaissance bell tower.

We continued along and soon hit the central market area and the Gothic facade of L’Hôtel-Dieu, also called the The Hospices de Beaune.  This was a charitable almshouse founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor.  The facade is a superior example of Northern Renaissance civic architecture and there is a treasure trove of panel paintings, with numerous portraits of Rolin, his wife and

members of his extended family. 

This was our first introduction to the multi-colored roof tiles that are so typical of Burgundy. We paid for the tour with the audio guide and spent a good while marveling at the architecture -- a pair of  very large two-storied buildings arranged around a stone courtyard. Amazingly, it continued to operate as a hospital for the poor from the 15th century until the 1970's.

We had lunch in the open air at a simple restaurant in the old city area after some map reading and decision making.  We even changed from one restaurant to another when the waiter said it would be a half hour before our food arrived. (At least we think that's what he was saying.)  As proof that even the simplest meal is an experience, we had snails, jambon perseille, and beef bourginogne.  The Pommard wine was good, but this also was our first introduction to the fact that a wine found in a restaurant may not be found later in the hypermarché or any other store.  It was of course a Sunday in France, and few if any stores were open.  We walked around the city ramparts for the views and eventually returned to our car. 







On the way out of town, returning to Pommard, we passed Edmond Fallot's famous center of the mustard arts, La Moutarderie.  This place is to the dégustation of  mustard what a cave is to wine.  They offer a tour of the facilities, a vast selection of mustards from Burgundy and beyond, as well as tasting opportunities.  So extraordinary is it that the New York Times wrote up the experience.



Having lunched in the city, we made a light supper of cheese and salade.